Missing Pieces
by LaughOutLoud99
Summary: AU. Instead of Henry, Regina adopts 13 year old Emma. A girl with a missing leg, who has been abandoned and abused. While Regina struggles to be a full-time mom and mayor she finds something she least expects...true love. OutlawQueen
1. Adoption

Regina Mills was nervous.

Regina Mills is almost never nervous, but today she was.

As she drove in her black Mercedes she gripped the steering wheel a bit. A million thoughts swimming in her head.

_What if they don't like me?_

_What if I a horrible mother?_

_What if something goes wrong?_

_What if?_

Regina's palms began to sweat as she gripped the wheel even tighter. She pulled into the parking lot of the Boston adoption agency and parked her car. For a moment she just sat there wondering if this was a good idea to begin with, wondering if she should just turn back. Her mind drifted to when she met Owen and how she felt. That feeling, that joy, she wanted to experience that everyday. So she finally took a deep breath and stepped out of the car.

She was ready.

She could do this.

* * *

"Well, Ms. Mills your application is outstanding. I mean your references are impeccable. And this town you live in- Storybrooke,Maine-your the mayor?"

"Third term. All unopposed.", Regina smiles

"Well, I've gone over your rights and responsibilities, but there is one thing I'd like to go over in detail. The child your adopting...only has one leg."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Well, we don't know all the specifics, but there was an accident resulting in an amputation... I hope that doesn't change anything"

"Um, no of course not. I am concerned with my child's future, not her past.", Regina answers

"Then congratulations. Ready to meet your daughter?"

"Yes", Regina is unable to contain her emotions; nervousness, happiness, excitedness. The agent pushed a button on his the intercom and no sooner does a woman appear with a girl about 13 years old. Regina looks her over. Blonde curly hair, beautiful green eyes, smooth pale skin and a slight limp.

"I'm Emma.", The girl says meekly

"Hi. I'm Regina."

" Are you my new mom?", The girl asks suddenly and with a hint of distaste.

Regina gives a nervous smile," Yes, yes I am."

Emma hums in response and grabs her bag from the floor. That is when Regina finally notices it...Emma's leg. A combination of metal and flesh, she felt rude for staring, but she couldn't look away until Emma spoke again.

"Hello? Did you hear me?"

"Excuse me? I'm sorry what was that?", Regina asked breaking out her trance

" I said I'm ready to go."

"Well then, shall we?"

* * *

The pair made their way to Regina's car in silence. When they reached the vehicle Regina opened the trunk motioned for Emma to put her bag in it.

"Um, I'd rather hold onto it.", she said and walked to the passenger side of the car. Regina bit her lip in worry, hoping that Emma wouldn't resent her for some unknown reason. _Regina calm down she is 13 and just got adopted. She needs to adjust._ Regina thought and relaxed a bit. She closed the trunk and climbed into the car.

Soon after they left the parking lot they got stuck in a traffic jam and Regina thought it would be a good time to talk to Emma. Get to know her a bit.

"So, Emma...tell me about yourself.", Regina awkwardly started

"Nothing to tell", she bluntly replied

"What about a favorite color? Mine is red.", Regina pressed

"Look, cut the crap already! I know you don't really care, you're just like the rest. You pretend that you want me and then the first chance you get you throw me away like a piece of garbage.", Emma snaps angrily.

"You don't really care", Emma says again in a whisper

Regina remains silent surprised by Emma's outburst. She thinks carefully about her next words before she speaks again.

"I do care"

"What?", Emma asks irritated

"When I signed those adoption papers you became my daughter and I do care about. you-", Regina paused and glanced at Emma's face, but her expression was hard to read so she continued.

"-and I don't know what happened with your previous guardians, but I assure you...I won't throw you away.", Regina finished. For a long time there was silence which was eventually broken by Emma.

" My favorite color is purple"

Regina smiled as she drove past the 'Welcome to Storybrooke' sign.

* * *

**Hope you like it. Until next time :)**

-**Randomness99**


	2. New Rooms and Broken Plates

After passing the Storybrooke sign, Regina and Emma soon arrived at the mansion.

"Holy crap. You_ live _here?", Emma asked wide-eyed

Regina chuckled," Well, I am the mayor."

As Regina opened the door Emma continued to stare in awe at the massive house. It was way nicer than any house or foster home she had been in. Regina remained quiet as Emma soaked in her surroundings. The leather furniture, the pristine kitchen, and the spiraling staircase. Emma seemed hypnotized until Regina coughed breaking her out of her trance.

" Your room is upstairs. The second door on the right.", she explains

"Oh, uh thanks", Emma replies still a bit distracted

"I'll be making dinner soon. Is lasagna alright?"

"Sure, I don't care", Emma replies as she walks up the stairs

Emma makes it to the top of the stairs with difficulty, rubbing her left stump. _Stairs__, _she thought, _It had to be stairs. _She turns right and finds herself in front of her bedroom door, hand raised, but unable to open the door. _Come on Emma, just do it. _In one swift motion Emma opened the door to pink colored walls with gold along the edges and matching sheets on the bed with the name 'Emma' painted elegantly in gold above the headboard. Emma set her bag down gently on the bed and noticed a desk in the corner of the room which already had enough supplies to last a good year or two.

"Do you like it?", Regina asked out of no where startling Emma ," Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, but I didn't know what you liked so this is what I came up with. You are free to redecorate it to your liking."

"No, I actually kinda like it.", Emma mumbled

Emma's nose then filled with a mouth-watering smell that immediately made her stomach growl and Regina chuckle.

" Dinner is almost ready, I'll call you when it's done", She explained and retreated to the kitchen.

Emma nodded and closed the door to her new room. She walked over to her bed and opened her backpack, which contained a few clothes, a pocket knife, and her baby blanket. She reached inside, grabbed the piece of fabric, and pressed it against her face feeling the softness against her skin. Emma felt different. She didn't feel the dread she had always felt when placed in a new house. She felt...better. She felt...at home.

* * *

**Flashback**

_5 years old_

_A woman picks up a broken ruler from the floor and screams at the crying child._

_"-AND MAYBE NEXT TIME YOU'LL LEARN TO BEHAVE!"_

_As she walks away the girl replies between sobs," Yes mommy"._

_"I'm not your mother you bastard child", and spits on the beaten five-year old_

_8 years old_

_"Remember our secret. Don't tell anybody or else you'll get the whip", a coarse drunken voice whispers in her ear._

_She tries to stop crying,but to no avail. The pain is too intense for the young second grader. She just sobs into her pillow as her adoptive father buckles his pants and stumbles out of the room._

_10 years old_

_It was one of her better nights. She didn't have any nightmares and was sleeping peacefully. Oblivious to the older kids sneaking out with fireworks and matches._

_She wakes up to pain. Searing pain in her left leg and finds it has caught on fire. She tries to find something to put the fire out, but it is too late the fire had surrounded. She frantically searches for an exit and sees a window. She slowly, but surely crawls over in agony and opens the window burning her hands._

_She screams. She screams bloody murder alerting the firefighters and countless others, the last thing she remembers is feeling wet and everything turns black._

* * *

A single tear rolls down Emma's cheek as she remember all the pain she went through. She quickly wipes her face when Regina's voice reaches her ears, announcing that dinner was ready.

Emma climbs down the stairs, following her nose to the dining room to find the table set with two plates of lasagna and two glasses of water. Regina is seated patiently waiting for Emma.

"Hi", Emma awkwardly greets as she sits down

"Hello",Regina smiles

They begin eating in silence until Regina speaks.

"How's the lasagna?", She asks

"Really good. Best thing I've tasted in a long time", Emma replied as she chewed contently

"It's a family recipe."

" I thought you didn't have any family. I mean...why else would you adopt me?"

Regina's mouth fell open for a second, surprised at the boldness of the young teen, but answered nonetheless .

" My mother taught it to me."

"What happened to her?"

" Her heart gave out when I was 15 and I was raised by my father until he died suddenly from a stroke."

Emma immediately stops eating and drops her fork," I'm sorry...I didn't know", she mumbled quietly

"It's quite alright dear."

"I'm not hungry any more", Emma suddenly says and quickly gets up stumbling over her metal leg in the process, ending with a shattered plate and a fallen Emma.

"Are you alright?", Regina asks on the floor next to Emma.

She gets no reply as Emma sits on the floor in a rigid posture as if expecting something...as if expecting to be hit.

" Emma?", Regina reaches out tentatively to comfort Emma, but was met with a flinch

"Emma, I'm not gonna hurt you. It was an accident and besides it is just a plate.", Regina says in attempts to sooth the girl. Emma slowly raises her head, traces of fear still evident on her face, and quietly asks, "Really?".

"Of course", was Regina's answer

* * *

After the incident at dinner Emma went into her room to retire for the night while Regina, stayed up late to finish her paperwork. She was almost finished with the last piece when she heard a scream come from Emma's room.

Regina was by her side in 5 seconds flat, though it stumped her on how quickly she was able to care so much for a girl that had only been with her for 24 hours.

As Emma was thrashing about she continued to repeat the same words over and over again," I'm sorry, I'm sorry!", she sobbed. Regina climbed into Emma's bed, wrapped her arms around her ( which calmed Emma down almost immediately), and rocked her back and forth until she was sleeping peacefully. The last thing she heard escape from Emma's lips was," Will you still love me in the morning?".

Regina looked down at the sleeping figure and couldn't help but reply

"Forever and ever, Emma"

* * *

**Wow! I cannot believe how many faves and follows this story has gotten! I would just like to clarify that, yes this is a repost. There was some technical troubles with my computer and so I decided to start over with the help of a friend of min_e _who, for now, shall not be named. So until next time!  
**

**-Randomness99 :)**


	3. Breakfast

The next day Regina began her usual morning routine. She woke up, took a shower, got dressed and began to make breakfast for herself. Regina was in no hurry to get to work, seeing as she was the mayor and could pick her own work days. By the time it was nine-thirty she was sipping coffee and reading the paper. Regina then paused to listen as she heard the clanking of Emma's leg going down the stairs.

"Good morning", Regina greeted as the disheveled blonde took a seat next to her.

"Ugh, Hi",Emma groggily replied, who looked like she barely got any sleep

"Would you like some breakfast?", Regina asked

"Yeah"

Regina soon made Emma some apple pancakes with orange juice and fruit, which Emma happily ate. As soon as Emma finished her breakfast she leaned back in her chair with content.

"You may be one of the best cooks I have ever met", Emma sighed

" I do my best", Regina modestly replies

"Well your best is amazing "

Regina chuckled as she dried the last plate she was washing and turned to face Emma. She wanted to ask about last night and what happened, but just couldn't bring herself to it. Regina finally mustered up enough courage and asked her.

"Emma? What happened last night?"

"What do you mean?",she asked confused

"You were screaming and kept yelling out ' I'm sorry'".

Emma fell back in her seat and covered her face with her hands," Sorry about that. It's just I have these dreams...well more nightmares than dreams, but it doesn't matter anyway.", Emma rose up from her seat and made her way to the stairs up to her room. Before Emma reached the first step Regina spoke.

"Was it about the fire? Your nightmares, I mean."

Emma froze, standing at the bottom of the stairs, without warning she turned around," Don't go poking around in my business.", she said through gritted teeth and continued up the stairs. Regina stood there shocked and decided to give Emma some space and her some time to think.

As soon as Emma reached her room she closed the door and buried her head in her pillows. Unwanted memories coming to surface.

* * *

**Flashback**

_"Hey look! It's Emma!", one of the girls yelled. A group then surrounded Emma taunting her and mocking her about her dyslexia.  
_

_"Come on! Aren't ya gonna fight back?"_

_"What's two plus two?"_

_" She can't she's too dumb!"_

_They began to throw rocks, cutting and bruising Emma's arms and legs. One girl took her backpack and dumped its contents. It happened everyday, Emma was used to it, but it didn't lessen the pain she had physically and mentally._

_"Hey!-", A boy yelled, maybe seventeen or eighteen with light curly brown hair and sea blue eyes, he walked up to the group and gave them a menacing stare,"- Why don't you pick on someone your own size?", the kids wasted no time in running away leaving Emma on the floor._

_"Hey, you okay?", the boy asked as helped put Emma's stuff in her bag  
_

_"Yeah...thanks"_

_"I'm August", he grinned  
_

_"My name is Emma", she answered and couldn't help but to return the smile_

_Xxxx_

_Emma woke up in a room she didn't recognize and immediately felt that something was wrong. She surveyed the room, which had blue walls, white floors, and machines. Machines were hooked up to her beeping in an eery harmony. She soon realized she was in a hospital. It all came rushing back to fire, her leg and...August. August! She hadn't even bothered to see if he was alright. She started to sit up, hissing at the burns on her hands, but as soon as removed the blanket she froze.  
_

_"Emma glad to see your awa-", the doctor that came in stopped in mid-sentence as soon as she saw what Emma was staring at. _

_" Your leg was badly burned in the fire. There...was nothing we could do, but cut it off.", she explained_

_A tear slid down Emma's cheek, but she quickly wiped it away," I need to see August."_

_"Who?"_

_"August, he's my...brother. Please I need to know he's okay.", Emma said desperately trying to edge out of the bed_

_"Emma please!-",the doctor pushed her back into the bed," I'll find your brother, but please stay in bed you need to rest."_

_Emma didn't want to rest, but she was so tired she couldn't find the strength to fight back. So she lied back in the bed and closed her eyes not knowing she'll never see August again._

* * *

Emma was sitting on her bed with her baby blanket when she heard a soft knock on the door. " Emma? May I come in?",Regina's voice asked from behind the door.

"Sure", Emma blankly replied

"Emma let me begin by apologizing. I never meant to-"

" It's fine. I just...it's fine"

Regina walked over to Emma's bed and put her hand over Emma's.

"Look dear, I know you been through quite a lot, but so have I, so maybe next time instead of lashing out you can just talk to me.", Emma stared at Regina . In her eyes it was not much, but to Emma it was like the world was taken off her shoulders. She never really had anyone she could count on except August, but after the fire she was alone...until she met Regina. The woman who actually cared, who actually thought of Emma as her daughter, who didn't...hurt her. Emma looked into Regina's eyes searching for anything to prove that she was lying, but found none. Emma rarely smiled, but in that very moment she was grinning like a fool as she pulled Regina into a fierce hug, which Regina happily returned.

* * *

_One month later_

" I still don't see why I have to go.", Emma said grumpily as she climbed into the car

" You have to sooner or later and I prefer you go sooner",Regina calmly replied

After the talk they had, Emma opened up more, but had yet to call Regina 'mom', which to her dismay was to be expected. All of Emma's life had been spent going from house to house and from what Regina knows none of them had been pleasant experiences. The duo soon reached their destination, much to Emma's distaste. Regina parked the car and stepped out waiting for Emma to follow.

"I'm not going and you can't make me" Emma stubbornly said

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. Emma was quite the handful at times.

"Is there anything I can say to make you come out?", Regina pleaded

Emma thought before answering," Apple turnovers-"

"Done",Regina hastily agreed

"-For a week", Emma finished

"Fine", Regina said through gritted teeth," Now will you _please _get out of the car?"

"With pleasure", Emma smugly replied

No sooner did Emma get out of the car was she almost run over by a girl with a red top and a backpack to match. "Sorry chica!", the girl apologized giving Emma a better view of her red highlight, _this girl must love red, _Emma thought," No problem". the girl smiled before disappearing into a crowd of kids filing into a building. Just then a bell rang signaling Emma that it was time to go. She waved goodbye to Regina and headed toward the cluster of kids.

"I hate school", Emma muttered

* * *

**First of all I would like to apologize for taking so long to update. I went camping then family came to town and I just got busy. I make no promises, but I will do my best to update on time. Second of all I would like to thank _mgma2000 _for helping with this chapter and other chapters. So until next time**

**-Randomness99 :)**


	4. New School and New Friends

Emma glanced down at the slip of paper in her hand and looked up at the locker.

" 815.", she whispered, " Guess I'm at the right place"

Emma opened her new locker and found it filled with books for her classes, along with graffiti from previous owners. As Emma rummaged through her backpack for her schedule something red appeared in the corner of eye.

"Hi, are you Emma?", the figure asked

Emma turned to see it was the same girl who had almost knocked her over.

"Yeah, and you're the girl who ran into me."

" Oh! That was you? Sorry about that."

Emma soon packed her books for her morning classes and turned to face the girl.

"I'm Ruby and I've been assigned to show you around.", Ruby said

" OK Ruby, so where to first?", Emma asks

"First period is with Mr. Smith , the math teacher.", Ruby answers as they walk through the halls overcrowded with kids. Emma's hand automatically touches her right side. Let's just say dyslexia isn't the only reason she hates math.

* * *

Regina watches as Emma waves goodbye and disappears into the crowd of children. She waits until the strong flow of kids become a trickle, but still found it difficult to leave. Regina wanted nothing more than to go with Emma and make sure nothing went wrong on her first day, but as Emma kept reminding her she was capable of doing things on her own. Regina reluctantly stepped inside her car and drove to work.

" Good Morning Madam Mayor", greets Regina's secretary, Tina Bell, as she enters her office

" What is my schedule for today ?", Regina asks disregarding her greeting

" Well, not much. Your three o'clock meeting has been canceled so your mostly stuck with paperwork.", Tina explains as she stacks a pile of papers on top of Regina's desk

Regina sighs deeply," Very Well. Please leave me"

Tina nods as she exits the room. Regina looks at the pile of papers and picks up a pen to get started. Never ceasing to worry about her daughter.

* * *

As Emma left the classroom with Ruby she sighs, relieved to had survive the lesson.

"Hey, are you okay? You seemed nervous in there. Is it... because of your dyslexia?", Ruby asks worriedly

"Huh? Uh...n-no. I'm f-fine", Emma answers shakily

"Are you sure? Emma, your shaking."

" Yeah, j-just give me a second", Emma says as she disappears into the bathroom and locks the door

As Emma stares into the mirror of the bathroom, she wordlessly pulls her shirt up to reveal a scar across her side. Memories of 'after-school tutoring' are brought to the surface. Emma remembers how he told her to take off her clothes, she remembers how he took pictures, she remembers how he stabbed her as she tried to run away,and she remembers lying in a pool of her own blood.

A single tear escapes and rolls down Emma's cheek, which she quickly wipes away.

"Emma? You okay?-", Ruby's voice breaks her from her thoughts,"-We gotta go or we'll be late for our next class.",Ruby explains

Emma straightens herself out and opens the door," I'm fine Ruby. You worry too much", Emma says casually as if nothing had happened. Ruby eyes her suspiciously, but continues to the next class.

" So, uh what's next?", Emma asks

" Earth and Life Science with Mr. Locksely. Your...uh not gonna freak out again like last period are you?", Ruby questions

"I fine Ruby. Just chill", Emma replies as they walk into the classroom. Ruby is greeted by couple of kids who she introduces to Emma. Ruby gestures to a tall, muscular girl with a neon yellow 'YOLO' shirt and jeans," This is Alana. Best basketball player we have, just don't get her mad".

" Hey, how ya doing?", Alana says coolly as she chews some gum. Emma begins to figidt with her jeans. She was never much of a people person.

Ruby then says hi to a kid in a leather jacket with bright blue eyes and raven black hair. "Emma, this Killian. Doesn't talk much, but he'll grow on you."

A tall, well-built man then walks into the classroom. He has dirty blonde hair, a green polo shirt and jeans. "OK, everyone take a seat.", he says in a commanding voice thick with an accent. The students do as they are told and soon everyone is seated.

"OK class, welcome back. Hope you all had a good summer and for those of you who are new I am . Now open up your books to chapter one: Rocks and Minerals."

As they began reading the lesson Mr. Locksely started to ask questions to see who was paying attention and to those who would get it right would receive piece of candy.

" Does anyone know the three main types of rocks?"

Emma sheepishly raises her hand," Sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous"

"Excellent", Mr. Locksely praises as he tosses her a kitkat. "Next question, What are minerals?"

Emma once again raises her hand to answer," Minerals are essential needed in small amounts to keep you healthy."

"Right again", grins as he hands Emma a fun-sized Apollo Bar

Throughout the class Mr. Locksely continued to hand out candy, but when the bell rang it was Emma who had the most. Leaving second period with a small bag of candy put Emma in a good mood for the rest of the school day. It also seem to make time fly as before Emma knew it she was packing her books for home.

Home.

Emma never thought she would use that word, but that is what it felt like when she was with Regina. She was so much different from the other 'parents' Emma had. Emma didn't want to do anything that would make Regina send her back, but she wasn't used to someone putting her first. _Guess I'll have to get used to it _ Emma thought.

* * *

While waiting for Regina to pick her up,Emma sats on a bench outside of the school. Ruby then notices Emma and decides to go keep her company.

"Hey"

"Hey"

"Who are you waiting for?", Ruby asks

" Regina", Emma answers casually

"The Mayor? Wait, you're the Mayor's kid?", Ruby questions Emma

" She's my adoptive mother, but yeah"

"Whoa, that is so cool! How is she...you know as a mom?"

Emma grins," She is pretty awesome."

Just then a black Mercedes pull into the parking lot of the school.

"Well, my ride is here. See you tomorrow!", Emma says as she waves goodbye

"Bye Emma!"

"How was your day?", Regina asks as Emma happily climbs into the car

Emma gives a small smile, "It was pretty good."


	5. Meatballs and Memories

"So what did you do today?", Regina asked as she drove away from the school, excited to hear about Emma's first day. Emma shrugged in response," I dunno. I learned, got a bag of candy, and I guess that's it".

"That's it? There must be more.", Regina asked expectantly

"I girl named Ruby showed me around the school and helped me to my classes.", Emma added before eating a piece of candy.

" Anything else?", Regina asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Why do you want to know every detail of my day?", Emma demanded tired of Regina grilling her about her day. "Because if I didn't all I would get would be a 'I dunno' and I would like to know how your first day went.", Regina replied

" Well, it went like any other day at school would.", Emma said irritably, while rolling her eyes.

" Fine, don't tell me anything-", Regina sarcastically said,"- and please refrain from rolling your eyes. It is very disrespectful"

Emma sighed, " Sorry."

"It's quite alright dear. Now, what would you like for dinner?", Regina asked as she pulled into the driveway.

" I don't know. Whatever you want."

" How about spaghetti?", Regina suggested,before swiping a piece of candy from Emma' s bag. "Careful-", Emma joked,"- you're going to ruin your appetite."

" Don't worry about me dear. Just tell me what you want for dinner.", Regina smiled as they both exited the car and made their way into the house.

"Spaghetti is fine. I'll be upstairs if you need me.", Emma grinned before walking up the stairs. Emma winced as she took the first step. Regina noticed this and quickly came to her aid.

"Are you okay?", she asked worriedly

"I'm fine Regina. It's just hard to walk up stairs.", Emma said nonchalantly

"Emma! Why didn't you tell me? I could've-"

" There is nothing you can do. Even if you put my on the first floor of the house, there are always gonna be other stairs that I'll have to climb.", Emma interrupted

Regina sighed," At least let me help you up the stairs.", she pleaded

Emma thought for a minute and then nodded. Regina was trying to help and she decided to let her, even though she didn't really need it.

* * *

After Regina assisted Emma up the stairs. She came down and began dinner. As she tied on her apron and started to take out ingredients, Regina thought about Emma. She thought about the past month and how great everything was going, but despite that Regina still felt that something was wrong

_It's ridiculous_s, she thought ,_My life is complete with Emma, _but no matter how many times Regina tried to convince herself that everything was how it was supposed to be, she just couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.

Xxxx

"Emma, dinner is ready!", Regina yelled as she set two plates of spaghetti on the table. A familiar thumping was soon heard as Emma came down. " Did you wash your hands?", Regina asked.

"Yep.", Emma replied automatically as she sat down

A few minutes into the meal Emma spoke," Do you know what I just realized?". Regina, with a mouthful of spaghetti, shook her head.

"You're single."

" And this is a problem how?", Regina asked after she had swallowed

" I mean, look at you! Who **wouldn't** wanna date you? You are a great cook, you are book smart, and you got the looks. Which begs the question, why don't you have a boyfriend?"

Regina would be lying if she said she was surprised by the question. It was bound to come up sooner or later. Regina took a sip of her water before answering.

"As flattering as that is, being mayor is not as easy as it seems. It happens to be very time-consuming work, so I have never really had the chance to date."

Emma raised an eyebrow, a trait she unknowingly picked up from Regina, and chuckled," Really? 'Cuz I think that's a load of crap."

"Emma, Language!", Regina scolded

" Sorry, it's just that you have time for A kid, but not a guy?", Emma pointed out as she ate a meatball

" Emma please. I don't want to talk about this now.", Regina sighed as she rubbed her temples

" Why not? I'm sure it can't be that hard for you to get a boyfriend."

"Just drop it.", Regina said through gritted teeth quickly losing her patience

"Have you _ever _been in love?"

Regina slams her hand against the table, startling the blonde." YES, I HAVE BEEN IN LOVE! And do you want to know what happened? HE DIED! Got hit by a freaking car! That is why I don't have a boyfriend!",Regina shouted before storming to her room.

Xxxx

When Emma hears the slam of Regina's door she knows she messed up big time. Emma wanted to apologize to Regina right away,but she decided it was best to let her cool down first. So after washing the dishes and finishing homework Emma finds herself in front of Regina's door. She hesitantly raises a fist.

One knock.

Two knocks.

Three knocks.

Emma turns to head back to her room when she hears a muffled noise coming from the other side of Regina's door. Emma opens the door just enough to see Regina lying on her bed silently crying. Emma opens the door a little bit wider making her presence known to the brunette.

"Regina? Are...are you OK?", Emma asks as she timidly approaches the bed

Regina quickly sits up and wipes away her tears in an attempt to erase the fact that she had been crying. " I'm fine", she answers her voice rough from crying.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to upset you I just, sometimes, don't know when to stop.", Emma apologizes

" It's alright dear. I probably shouldn't have snapped liked that."

" No, it's not your fault. I had it coming", Emma chuckles

Regina smiles, she then catches a glimpse of herself in her vanity." Look at me. I'm a mess...you shouldn't have to see like this.", Regina gets up from her bed and walks to the bathroom to wash her face.

"You still look better than most of the fosters I've had.", Emma says from behind Regina, who laughs in response

For a while they were both quite as Regina washed her face and when she finished Emma spoke. "Who...who was he?", Emma said almost inaudibly. Regina turns around and looks at Emma with sad eyes. Eyes filled with pain and hurt. Emma knew, because she was the same.

"His name was Daniel..."

As Regina told Emma the story about Daniel, she felt old memories surface. Ones she tried so hard to bury long ago. It wasn't because she didn't want to remember them, it was because she didn't want to remember the pain. Nevertheless, she continued to retell the tragedy. When Regina had finished she looked to Emma, anxious to hear what she had to say after listening to the story.

"Would you be willing to love again?", Emma asks

"I don't know...maybe.", Regina answers uncertainly

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for all those who followed, favorited, and reviewed. Hope you guys like the chapter...Enjoy! :)  
**


	6. The Plan

Emma sat in English class not really paying attention to the teacher as her mind wandered off to the conversation she had with Regina the night before. Emma still felt guilty for what had transpired that night, but quickly hatched a plan so that maybe Regina won't feel so alone anymore.

"Miss Mills?", the English teacher, Ms. O'Brien, said impatiently breaking Emma out of her trance.

" Uh, yes Ms. O'Brien?", Emma asked sheepishly

" What are indefinite pronouns?"

Emma's mind went blank as she fidgeted with the hem of her sweater . Another student then raised his hand and Ms. O'Brien motioned for him to speak. " Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that do not refer to any person, amount, or thing in particular. For example, anything or anyone."

"Very good Peter-", Ms. O'Brien praised and then sneered as she turned to Emma,"- as for you Ms. Mills please refrain from daydreaming in my class"

"Yes ma'am", Emma replied as her cheeks turned bright red

Ms. O'Brien was a very strict teacher with red hair and a hint of an Irish accent, but few could take her seriously because of her height. It was particularly funny when she got mad or upset scrunching her face up almost like a little kid. A few other students giggled while Peter smirked at Emma's embarrassment. Emma shrank into her seat wishing she could turn invisible.

* * *

As soon as the bell rang Emma left in search for Ruby and Alana, hoping to share her ideas with them. Emma quickly went to her locker to drop off some books and then set off to her next class.

Emma was almost to her next class when she caught sight of Alana, but was stopped when a group of boys came into her view.

"Hey, Emma right? You're in my English class", the first boy greets with a fake smile

"Yeah and you are...?", Emma answers disregarding the older boy

"Aww, that sad. She doesn't even remember me." the boy said with feign hurt. The two other boys, his friends chuckled as if it was funny which it wasn't.

"I'm Peter Pan Darling. These are my friends Felix and Zach. And I just wanted to formally welcome you to our school.", Peter says with a devilish grin

"Gee, thanks Peter Pan, but I gotta get to class. I'm already late.", Emma states as she tries to move past the suspicious group

The two boys step in front of Emma. They weren't much bigger than her, but they definitely out muscled her. Emma turned back to Peter who had a creepy smile on his face.

"Hey, I don't want any trouble.", Emma said with a hint of fear in her voice

"Neither do I, but just to be safe I wanna make sure you know who's the boss around here."

Emma took a step back and bumped into the older kids behind her. Emma tried not to look scared, but the fear was starting to take over. Suddenly Felix and Zach were pushed aside by a powerful force. Emma turned around and saw Alana holding Zach by his collar.

"Peter...-", Alana began in a disapproving tone," -are you causing trouble again?"

Peter sneered, but answered," No I was actually just leaving", he turned swiftly and walked down the hall.

Alana dropped Zach and watched him scramble to catch up to Felix and Peter.

"Stay out of trouble Peter. I don't want to have to whoop your asses all the way down to the principal's office!", the boys began to walk faster out of the hallway.

Alana turned to face Emma and asked," Are you okay? Peter and his boys are stupid, but dangerous."

"I'm fine. They didn't do anything, mostly because you scared them off.", Emma answered, interested in what made Peter and his gang so scared of Alana.

"Why were they so afraid of you?"

Alana shrugged casually and began to walk to class,but with her long legs Emma was jogging painfully with her prosthetic just to catch up. "I'm the toughest girl in the school. Which means I'm the most feared...and my step-dad is the principal of the school."

"Wait...what?!", Emma asked taken aback

"It's no big deal so please drop the subject", Alana said uncomfortably

Emma nodded," So...is Peter's middle name really 'Pan' ?"

Alana grinned.

* * *

Emma stood outside the school with Alana while waiting for Ruby. School had finished twenty minutes ago and Alana had agreed to help Emma set her mom up on a date. Now they were just waiting for Ruby to fill her in on the details.

While waiting Emma's leg began to bother her so she sat down and decided to call Regina on her phone. Emma insisted that she didn't need one having gone so long without a phone, but Regina was persistent. "What if something happens and I'm not with you?", she reasoned, but Emma rolled her eyes and replied," I don't need you for everything Regina. If something happens I'll be fine, so stop coddling me.", Emma never noticed the momentarily hurt on Regina's face.

Emma dialed Regina's number.

_" Emma? Is everything okay? I'm on my way to pick you up I am just swamped with work."_

"Yeah everything's fine, but you don't need to pick me up. I'm going, with a couple of friends, to Granny's. We're gonna be working on a project. I'll text you when I'm done."

_" Emma, I'm not sure if that's a good idea..."_

"I'll be fine Regina. I'll text you when I'm done", Emma hung up the phone without waiting for an answer and saw that Ruby had finally exited the building.

"You ready?", Alana asked

"Yeah.", Emma answered uneasily feeling a bit guilty for hanging up on Regina

"Alright then let's go.", Ruby smiled, which made Emma feel a bit better, as the group of friends walked down the sidewalk.


	7. Late Nights

"How about Billy?", Ruby suggests as Emma and Alana sit on the other end of the booth in Granny's diner eliminating almost all the men from their list of potential suitors trying to find a match for Regina.

"Billy the mechanic...really?", Alana asks skeptical

"Well, we've crossed off because David Nolan because he's married, Mr. Gold because he's creepy, Leroy because he's a drunk, and the list keeps going.". Ruby says exasperated

"What about the sheriff... Garrett?",Emma offers

Alana leans back in the booth and closes her eyes sleep evident on her face," His name is Graham and even though he's a good match he's a bit...weird. I mean the dude has a wolf as a pet that he keeps in the woods."

"Who says that's a bad thing?!", Ruby says defensively

"Plus, Ruby has a thing for him.", Alana adds

"Isn't he like forty years old?", Emma asks a bit thrown off

Ruby scoffs,"Graham is not that old...he's only thirty-two", she finishes quietly

" That's not creepy at all", Emma replies sarcastically

Ruby sticks her tongue out at Emma, who rolls her eyes. The duo is then interrupted by the sound of snoring coming from Alana. " I think it's time to call it a night.", Ruby declares not bothering to hide a yawn. "Yeah, Regina is waiting for me.-", Emma says as she gathers her things and steps out of the booth,"- Do you need help with her?", Emma points to Alana's sleeping figure on the table.

"It's fine. I'll just call her mom to see if she can pick her up and if not, then she can sleep in one of the rooms at the inn."

Emma ,seemingly satisfied with the answer, begins to walk out the door when Ruby stops her. " Why do you call her Regina? "

Emma turns around with a confused look on her face," Because that's her name.", she answers obviously

"Well no duh. I know that, but she's your mom right? Yeah,she's your adoptive mom, but still..."

Emma sighs," Look, Ruby we're all very tired. Let's just get some sleep. Okay?"

Emma turns to leave when she hears Ruby mumble," Whatever".

Emma ignores her and continues out the door and into the cool September air. She turns and walks down the sidewalk to Mifflin Street. Truth be told Emma didn't really know why she still called Regina by her first name. She was nice, she was patient, she was how any mom would be. But in Emma's mind, calling Regina 'mom' would mean getting attached and Emma couldn't do that. Not when there was still a chance that things could go wrong. Regina could still decide that Emma was a mistake and send her back into the system.

So consumed in her thoughts Emma accidentally bumped into someone. " I'm sorry.", she began," I wasn't paying attentio-", Emma stopped in mid-sentence when she saw who she had run into.

"Hello Emma.", greeted her science teacher, Mr. Locksely

"Mr. Locksely! Um...hello. What are you doing out here?", Emma asked a bit awkwardly, not used to seeing her teacher outside of school. Mr. Locksely laughed,"I could ask you the same thing."

"Oh, well I was with some friends and I guess we lost track of time. I'm just on my way home", Emma explained

"If I'm not mistaken, Regina's your mother right?"

" Yeah...", Emma answered uneasily

"And you live on Mifflin Street, correct?"

"I do.", Emma replied, ' _for now", _she thought in her head._  
_

"I thought as much. You're walking in the wrong direction." Mr. Locksely stated

Emma looked at her surroundings and found that her middle school teacher was right. _I must've made a wrong turn at Granny's, _Emma thought to herself.

"Well,I would be more than happy to walk you home." Mr. Locksely offered

"Thanks."

And with that Emma followed her teacher to her house on 108 Mifflin Street.

* * *

After a brief walk Emma soon found herself in the front lawn of her house and turned to thank her teacher when Regina opened the door.

"Emma!", she cried as she ran to the thirteen year old embracing her in a hug. "Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?"

"I'm fine. I was with some friends and I lost track of time, then I got lost and Mr. Locksely helped me. Now please let me go.", Emma explained impatiently. Regina reluctantly released Emma from her grasp and she ran, or walked as fast as she could with a prosthetic leg, into the house. Regina slowly rose from the ground, not caring to hide the wounded look on her face.

Sheriff Graham, who had been standing silently in the background, was the first to speak," I'll just go and check on the lassie. Make sure she's okay.", and with that he retreated into the Mill's Mansion.

Regina finally turned and acknowledged the presence of the middle school teacher. She cast one of her mayoral smiles and stretched out her hand. "Hello, I don't believe we have been properly introduced. I'm, as you may know, Regina Mills."

The schoolteacher stood there dumbly, staring at Regina, completely enthralled with her beauty. _'She's gorgeous', _was he could think before breaking out of his trance.

"Huh? Oh! Yes, I'm Robin Locksely.-", Robin said while shaking her hand,"-I teach at Emma's school. She's a wonderful student by the way, very smart."

Regina gave a small smile, so small you might not have noticed, but Robin did and in return he smiled back. " How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?", Regina asked

Robin grinned," Got anything stronger?"

* * *

**A/N: Hey! I know it's been awhile since I posted an author's note, but I wanted to thank all of you guys for following, favoriting and reviewing to my story. It means a lot. :)**


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